Improvement in fuses for explosive shells



F." ALGER Shell-Fuse. No. 36,329. 4 Patented. Sept. 24 1862 Tlgl gwm 2* 'Ng j Q a Q s; Q o x X N mm. S 4

IIII

UNITED STATES` PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS ALGER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FUSES'FOR EXPLOSl-VE SHELLS.

Specification forming part of Leiters Patent No. 36,329, dated September 2, 1862.

.To all whom, it may concern c it known thatI, FRANCIS ALGER, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fuses for Shells;A

and I do hereby declare that the following is a fu1l,.true, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the fuse.- case It' and its stopper s, showing a side view of the plunger or hammer c and time percus sion-fuse and its connections; Fig. 2, a side.

View of the fuse complete; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section of the plunger or hammer; Fig. 4, a longitudinal section of the time-fuse and its connections; Fig. A, a view of the interior surface of the stopper; Fig. B, a view of the recessed end of the plunger; Figs. C and D, views of the ends of the head b of the time percussion-fuse. Figs, E, F, G, and H represent details, to be hereinafter referred to;

My present invention consists principally iu so arranging a time-fuse in a fuse-case that it will be displaced when the shell strikes and allow free ingress into the fuse-case for the powder from the shell, or free'egress for 'the ilames from the time-fuse. To accomplish this I surround the time-fuse e by some suitableA material heavy enough to cause it to fly forward when the shell Strikes, thus leaving the lower part of the fuse-case empty. .The striking of the shell also throws the powder with which it is charged into the lower endv of the fuse-case around the burning time-fuse, and thus explodes the shell;A or (perhaps) the ily ing forward of the time-fuse leaves afree passage through the lower end of the fuse-case, which the time-fuse had before filled lup, for

the flames from the time-fuse, and so `explodes packing-ring, h, Figs. 1, 4, and E,A (I use rubber,) between it and .the shoulder in the interior ofthe fusecase,which packing-ring serves to prevent thegases from theburning fuse from finding their way into the interior of the shell.

The time-fuse e shown is Algers lDouble Safety Fuse. The lead core f, Figs. 1, 2, 4, and F, projects beyond the lower end of thefuse-case, and on it I secure a washer, g, Figs. 1, 2, 4, and g, of lead or other suit-able metal,

.both for the purpose of increasing the weight' of the core f,which insures its .being dropped into the interior of the shell when it starts, and also to prevent any accidental movement of the fuse, which might cause the cap c on its head c, Figs. 1, 4, C, and D,to strike the hammer a and be exploded. The purpose ofthe grooves :c a: vv 'v in the metallic covering d and -plunger a., as also of the apertures y y and w w in the stopper s and rim ot' the fuse-case, is to provide for the escape of the gases generated by the 'burning-fuse composition and for connecting the plunger with t-he stopper, and is not more fully described, because they make no part of my present invention.

The plunger a is a short-cylinder, of metal, small enough to move `freely in the fuse-case.

One end is plain and the other is provided with the well-known safety-recess z, to receive the cap c of the time-fuse.

, The operation of this fuse is as follows: The hammer or plunger, having its plane surface presented to the cap c of the fuse, as shown in the drawings, is caused by the sudden start of the shell to explode thatcap, and thus ignite the fuse-composition. The start of ltheshell also causes the core f and its washer g to fall into the interior of the shell, and thus leave the time-fuse free to explode the powder if it burns out before the shell strikes. If' the shell strikes before it isexplodedv by the time-fuse, then the inertia of the fuse and its metallic covering causes it to iiy forward and leave the rear end of the fuse-case open, affording free passage to the powder or flame, as described.

Fig. H shows anarrangement of the stopper y 'strongfuse v l .,objections, the principal o'f which are, lirst, the -amount of fulminate required, increasing the faee'of the hammer.

' face of'the stopper s. A The stopper has a bore in its center y',leading into this tube, and the tube is providedwith apertures w w', either as shownin the drawings, or its ends may be left opein In either ease the passage of theshell through the atmosphere creates apartial vacuum around the mouths of these holes, and thus exhausts the interior of the fuse-case.

. This cross-piece i may be solid. instead of a fillbmallllstill serve the purposes of aphandle, in which case the exhaust will be otherwise provided for.

' tlier important feature of my invention isV the manner vof ignitingthe time-fuse. This has heretofore been accomplished, so iar as I am aware, when the ilame irenrthe cartridge "was not relied upon, only by the use ofja hammer with a. needle on the face nearest `the ful# animate, the needle puncturing' the fulininate,

and thus igniting the time-fuse, as in the Armlhis method is liable to'several costuof the fuse, and rendering it necessary to have very considerable quantities of this d an- .gerous 'compound at the fuse-manufactory .second, the cost of securing the needle on the To obviate these objec' tions,-I dispensewith the needle and use a thin layer. 'offulminate,which is ignited by the blow uffa hammer instead of the puncture 'of a neelVitnesses:

die.. It is evident that the head b and percussicnlcap may be dispensed with and a thin layer or wafer of fulminate be placed directly upon the upper part of the time-fuse, and this form of my invention, though not the one I prefer, would, probably answer as nearly as well as the more complete form shown; or the 'wafer may even beplaeed .in a recess in the face of the hammer, made for that purpose. None of these methods are shown,.beeause itis believed that the one represented is preferable.

. Ido not claimthe combination ofatimeand Y concussion fuse in one fuse-stock, asthat, I am aware, is old; but Y .f Y

. What I do claim as. my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,1is-.l

1. The construction 'and arrangement of a sliding tme-fuse within a fuse-case, so that the J. M AYNADIER.

F. E. POWERS. 

